Strainer assembly for use in conjunction with seamless sink drain

ABSTRACT

This invention relates to a strainer assembly for use in conjunction with a drain hole in a sink. The sink comprises a downwardly extending drain sleeve formed on the sink. The drain sleeve is formed with inwardly extending flange adapted to engage the strainer assembly. The strainer assembly includes an inner strainer body having outwardly extending flange, an outer strainer body having outwardly extending flange, a first gasket positioned between the flange of the outer strainer body and the bottom of the sink, and a fastening means adapted to engage the inner strainer body and the outer strainer body such that the flange of the inner strainer body is pressed against the flange of the drain sleeve and the flange of the outer strainer body is pressed against the bottom of the sink, allowing the strainer assembly to be connected to the sink.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a sink drain assembly. More particularly, this invention relates to a strainer assembly adapted to be received by a seamless sink drain.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

For convenience, the invention and the prior art will be generally discussed below in relation to a kitchen sink. However, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to this application but can be used in a bathtub drain, bidet drain, lavatory drain, etc.

A conventional sink bottom has an opening adapted to receive a strainer assembly with a flange sitting on top of the sink bottom, creating an unseemly edge and groove visible by the user. The flange also collects debris and dirt and occupies flat area of the sink bottom. The area where the flange meets the sink is always in two different levels reducing the working area where flat bottomed objects (like glasses) can be placed without tipping over. In addition, the installation of a conventional sink drain assembly is rather time consuming and complicated.

There is therefore a need for a new sink drain assembly that addresses the inadequacies associated with the conventional sink drain assembly.

It is an object of the present invention, at least in some embodiments, to provide a strainer assembly without a flange sitting on top of sink bottom to maximize the flat area of the sink bottom. The present invention may further provide a strainer assembly with a cover to further maximize the flat area of the sink bottom and provide a neat and tidy look of the sink bottom.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, the invention provides a strainer assembly for use in conjunction with a drain hole in a sink. The sink comprises a downwardly extending drain sleeve formed on the sink. The drain sleeve is formed with inwardly extending flange adapted to engage the strainer assembly. The strainer assembly comprises an inner strainer body having outwardly extending flange; an outer strainer body having outwardly extending flange; a first gasket positioned between the flange of the outer strainer body and the bottom of the sink; and a fastening means adapted to engage the inner strainer body and the outer strainer body such that the flange of the inner strainer body is pressed against the flange of the drain sleeve and the flange of the outer strainer body is pressed against the bottom of the sink, allowing the strainer assembly to be connected to the sink.

Preferably, a second gasket is provided to be positioned between the flange of the inner strainer body and the flange of the drain sleeve of the sink.

The flanges of the inner strainer body and the drain sleeve of the sink may be at an angle and correspond to each other.

Alternatively, the flanges of the inner strainer body and the drain sleeve of the sink may be U-shaped and correspond to each other.

Preferably, the top of the fastening means includes a recess area.

Optionally, the fastening means comprises a centrally hallow screw having threads on the outside wall and a nut having threads on the inside wall corresponding to the threads of the screw.

A waste trap assembly may be provided having a basket for collecting waste, a sealing means to allow the drain hole to be sealed, and a pole connecting to the basket and the sealing means and adapted to be positioned within the fastening means; wherein a axial movement of the pole causes the sealing means to move between a sealing position and a drainage position.

Optionally, a waste trap assembly may be provided having a basket for collecting waste, a sealing means to allow the drain hole to be sealed, and a locking mechanism connecting to the sealing means and adapted to be positioned within the fastening means through an opening of the basket. The locking mechanism is adapted to secure the sealing means in a sealing position or a drainage position.

Preferably, a cover is provided to cover at least part of the basket. The cover may have an opening to allow access to the locking mechanism. The cover may be round shaped or square shaped.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Preferred features of the present invention will now be described with particular reference to the accompanying drawings. However, it is to be understood that the features illustrated in and described with reference to the drawings are not to be construed as limiting on the scope of the invention. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a sink with seamless drain according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the sink of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an exploded view of a first embodiment of a strainer assembly according to the present invention;

FIG. 4A is a cross-sectional view of the first embodiment of the strainer assembly of FIG. 3;

FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional view of the first embodiment of the strainer assembly of FIG. 4A with a round cover;

FIG. 5 is an exploded view of a second embodiment of a strainer assembly according to the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the second embodiment of the strainer assembly of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a third embodiment of a strainer assembly according to the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the second embodiment of the strainer assembly of FIG. 5;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a square cover;

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the third embodiment of a strainer assembly with the square cover of FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of another embodiment of a square cover;

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of the first embodiment of a strainer assembly of FIG. 4A with the square cover of FIG. 11.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, there is presented a sink 10 having a hole with a downwardly extending drain sleeve 12 to receive a strainer assembly. Drain sleeve 12 has inwardly extending flange adapted to engage the strainer assembly.

Turning to FIG. 3, the strainer assembly comprises an inner strainer body 24 and an outer strainer body 30. Inner strainer body 24 has outwardly extending flange for engaging the inwardly extending flange of drain sleeve 12. The arrangement of engagement of the flanges of the inner strainer body 24 and the drain sleeve 12 can be flat, at an angle, or in U-shape. The flange of the inner strainer body 24 and the flange of the drain sleeve 12 can be at any angle as long as they correspond to each other.

As shown in Circle B of FIG. 6, the flange 54 of the inner strainer body 24 and the flange 56 of the drain sleeve 12 can be at an angle and correspond to each other. Alternatively, the flange 50 of the inner strainer body 24 and the flange 52 of the drain sleeve 12 can be U-shaped and correspond to each other, as shown in Circle A of FIG. 6. In this demonstration, U-shaped flanges are used with a gasket being positioned between the flanges to eliminate leakage of water/liquid.

The strainer assembly, as shown in an exploded view in FIG. 3, comprises inner strainer body 24, outer strainer body 30 having outwardly extending flange, first gasket 28 positioned between the flange of the outer strainer body 30 and the bottom of the sink 10, second gasket 26 in an “O” ring form positioned between the flange of the inner strainer body 24 and the flange of the drain sleeve 12 of sink 10, and a fastening means 22 for engaging the inner strainer body 24 and the outer strainer body 30 such that the flange of the inner strainer body 24 is pressed against the flange of the drain sleeve 12 and the flange of the outer strainer body 30 is pressed against the bottom of the sink 10, allowing the strainer assembly to be connected to the sink 10.

The fastening means 22, in this embodiment, is a centrally hallow screw having threads on the outside wall corresponding to a nut (not shown) having threads on the inside wall. Alternatively, the fastening means 22 can be in a form of a screw with recess on the top instead of being hallow.

A waste trap assembly is provided having a basket 16 for collecting waste, a sealing means 18 to allow the drain hole to be sealed, and a pole 20 with button 14 connecting to the basket 16 and the sealing means 18 to be positioned within the fastening means 22; wherein a axial movement of the pole 20 causes the sealing means 18 to move between a sealing position and a drainage position. The waste trap assembly can be pulled up by lifting the button 14 to drain the water/liquid retained in the sink 10, or pulled all the way up to be released from the drain hole for removing the wasted collected. To collect water/liquid in the sink 10, the waste trap assembly can be pushed down by pressing the button 14 to cause the sealing means 18 to seal the drain hole.

FIG. 4A shows a cross section of the strainer assembly 2 of FIG. 3 after installed onto the sink 10.

FIG. 4B shows a cross section of the strainer assembly 2 of FIG. 3 after installed onto the sink 10 with a round cover 68. The round cover 68 serves a decorative purpose as well as provides more flat working area where flat bottomed objects (like glasses) can be placed without tipping over.

In fact, the cover could be in any shape corresponding to the shape of the recess of the sink. For example, a square cover 98 as shown in FIG. 11 may be used. FIG. 12 shows the strainer assembly 2 of FIG. 3 installed onto the sink with a square cover 98. Similar to the round cover 68, the square cover 98 serves a decorative purpose as well as provides more flat working area where flat bottomed objects (like glasses) can be placed without tipping over.

A second embodiment of the strainer assembly, as shown in FIG. 5 in an exploded view, comprises inner strainer body 24, outer strainer body 30 having outwardly extending flange, first gasket 28 positioned between the flange of the outer strainer body 30 and the bottom of the sink 10, second gasket 26 in an “O” ring form positioned between the flange of the inner strainer body 24 and the flange of the drain sleeve 12 of sink 10, and a fastening means 22 for engaging the inner strainer body 24 and the outer strainer body 30 such that the flange of the inner strainer body 24 is pressed against the flange of the drain sleeve 12 and the flange of the outer strainer body 30 is pressed against the bottom of the sink 10, allowing the strainer assembly to be connected to the sink 10.

The fastening means 22 is a centrally hallow screw having threads on the outside wall corresponding to a nut (not shown) having threads on the inside wall. Alternatively, the fastening means 22 can be in a form of a screw with recess on the top instead of being hallow.

Another embodiment of waste trap assembly is provided having a basket 16 for collecting waste, a sealing means 18 to allow the drain hole to be sealed, and a button 32 attached to the locking mechanism 34 connecting to the sealing means to secure the sealing means 18 in a sealing position or a drainage position. The locking mechanism 34 is positioned within the hollow central section of the fastening means 22 through an opening of the basket 16.

To collect water/liquid in the sink 10, a sealing position can be achieved by pressing the button 32 that is attached to the locking mechanism 34 to cause the sealing means 18 to seal the drain hole. The drainage position can be achieved by pressing again the button 32 attached to the locking mechanism 34 to release from the locking position to drain the water/liquid retained in the sink 10. The locking mechanism 34 has a lock ball 80 to retain/release a locking position.

The basket 16 remains sitting on the top of the flange of the inner strainer body 24 in both drainage and sealing positions.

A round cover 36 is provided to cover at least part of the basket 16 and has an opening to allow access to the locking mechanism 32. The round cover 36 maximizes the flat area of the sink bottom and provides a neat and tidy look of the sink bottom.

FIG. 6 shows a cross section of the strainer assembly 2 of FIG. 5 after installed onto the sink 10.

A cross-section of the second embodiment of strainer assembly 2 of FIG. 5 is further shown in FIG. 8.

FIG. 7 shows another embodiment of cover 38. Cover 38 has downwardly extending rim with apertures to allow water/liquid to pass through. Button 40 with a bigger flat top used in the second embodiment of strainer assembly 2 of FIG. 5 is also shown.

FIG. 9 shows another embodiment of cover 78 which is square shaped.

The cross-section of the second embodiment of strainer assembly 2 of FIG. 5 having the square shaped cover 78 is shown in FIG. 10. Similar to the round cover 36 of FIG. 6, the square cover 78 serves a decorative purpose as well as provides more flat working area where flat bottomed objects (like glasses) can be placed without tipping over.

Throughout the specification and claims the word “comprise” and its derivatives is intended to have an inclusive rather than exclusive meaning unless the context requires otherwise.

It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that many modifications and variations may be made to the methods of the invention described herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. 

1. A strainer assembly for use in conjunction with a drain hole in a sink, the sink comprising a downwardly extending drain sleeve formed on the sink, wherein the drain sleeve is formed with inwardly extending flange adapted to engage the strainer assembly, the strainer assembly comprising: an inner strainer body having outwardly extending flange; an outer strainer body having outwardly extending flange; a first gasket positioned between the flange of the outer strainer body and the bottom of the sink; and a fastening means adapted to engage the inner strainer body and the outer strainer body such that the flange of the inner strainer body is pressed against the flange of the drain sleeve and the flange of the outer strainer body is pressed against the bottom of the sink, allowing the strainer assembly to be connected to the sink.
 2. The strainer assembly of claim 1, wherein a second gasket is provided to be positioned between the flange of the inner strainer body and the flange of the drain sleeve of the sink.
 3. The strainer assembly of claim 1, wherein the flanges of the inner strainer body and the drain sleeve of the sink are at an angle and correspond to each other.
 4. The strainer assembly of claim 1, wherein the flanges of the inner strainer body and the drain sleeve of the sink are U-shaped and correspond to each other.
 5. The strainer assembly of claim 1, wherein the top of the fastening means includes a recess area.
 6. The strainer assembly of claim 1, wherein the fastening means comprises a centrally hallow screw having threads on the outside wall and a nut having threads on the inside wall corresponding to the threads of the screw.
 7. The strainer assembly of claim 5, wherein a waste trap assembly is provided having a basket for collecting waste, a sealing means to allow the drain hole to be sealed, and a pole connecting to the basket and the sealing means and adapted to be positioned within the fastening means; wherein a axial movement of the pole causes the sealing means to move between a sealing position and a drainage position.
 8. The strainer assembly of claim 7, wherein a cover is provided to cover at least part of the basket.
 9. The strainer assembly of claim 5, wherein a waste trap assembly is provided having a basket for collecting waste, a sealing means to allow the drain hole to be sealed, and a locking mechanism connecting to the sealing means and adapted to be positioned within the fastening means through an opening of the basket, the locking mechanism adapted to secure the sealing means in a sealing position or a drainage position.
 10. The strainer assembly of claim 9, wherein a cover is provided to cover at least part of the basket.
 11. The strainer assembly of claim 10, wherein the cover has an opening to allow access to the locking mechanism.
 12. The strainer assembly of claim 7 wherein the cover is round shaped or square shaped. 